The invention relates generally to a medical implant and more particularly to a stent configured to be implanted within a ureter of a patient.
A ureter is a tubular passageway in a body that carries urine from a kidney to a bladder. Ureteral stents are used to assist drainage of urine and/or other fluids from the kidney to the urinary bladder in patients with a ureteral obstruction and/or injury; or to protect the integrity of the ureter during a variety of surgical manipulations. Stents may be used to treat and/or avoid ureteral obstructions (such as ureteral stones or ureteral tumors), which disrupt the flow of urine from the kidneys to the bladder. Serious obstructions may cause urine to back up into the kidneys. Ureteral stents may also be used after endoscopic inspection of the ureter to prevent obstruction of the ureter by swelling of the ureteral wall caused by the surgical procedure. Ureteral stents typically are tubular in shape and terminate in two opposing ends: a kidney-end and a bladder-end.
Known stents, typically include a lumen extending through a tubular passageway. Such known stents, however, do not allow for maximum drainage from the kidney to the bladder. Additionally, known stents are typically rigid to allow for easy placement in a ureter of a patient. Such rigidity, however, can cause patient discomfort and can make the stent more difficult to remove.
A need exists for a stent that provides increased drainage of urine from the kidney to the bladder of a patient. Further, a need exists for a stent that is sufficiently rigid when inserted but causes less patient discomfort after implementation and is easily removable.